WiMAX will have a growing, important role in the telecommunications industry and impact a variety of television-related applications, including backhaul and DBS triple play, according to a new report from market research and consulting firm Northern Sky Research. WiMAX may also produce interference with C-band transmissions, it said.

The report — “WiMAX- Opportunity or Threat for Satellite Communications?” — looked at WiMAX in the broader telecommunications context. While it found that opportunities exist for satellite-WiMAX interworking, the wireless broadband technology poses a real threat to C-band.

The high-power and mobility elements of WiMAX potentially deployed in a ubiquitous matter using the 3.5GHz spectrum bring interference challenges to satellite extended C-band and standard C-band as well, the NSR report said. This issue must not be understated, because wide-scale interference between WiMAX and C-band will greatly affect C-band users and emerging WiMAX services.

While ITU meetings in the future will provide more guidance on this issue, the path toward a win-win situation is not yet entirely clear, the report said.

The report concluded that satellite/WiMAX "inter-working" would produce a variety of distinct opportunities, highly dependant on the frequency band in use and regional competitive considerations. Opportunities range from C-band and Ku-band satellite backhaul in developing regions and remote areas, to DBS/WiMAX triple-play retail bundles in mature satellite TV markets.

The FAA’s current rules and proposed ban on flight over people, requirement of visual line of sight and restriction on nighttime flying, effectively prohibit broadcasters from using UAS for newsgathering. ~ WMUR-TV General Manager Jeff Bartlett